This invention relates generally to the field of dispensers, and more particularly to a device for dispensing flowable material into a container.
Food and drug manufacturers market many concentrated products, erg., powdered drinks and granulated medications which consumers add to a liquid after purchase. These food and drug products are typically sold in packets, jars, cans, and other similar packages, either in bulk or single size servings. It is easy to dispense a serving of powdered flavor concentrate or a dose of granulated medicine from any of those packages into a glass of water or other liquid; however, servings or doses cannot quickly, easily, neatly, and completely be dispensed from those packages directly into a typical narrow necked 16 oz. or 1.5 liter bottle of water or other liquid.
This invention provides food and drug manufacturers with a novel, inexpensive, consumer friendly dispenser that holds single servings or doses of flowable food and drug products and lets consumers easily, quickly, and neatly dispense those products into typical beverage bottles.
Numerous container caps, lids, and other devices that hold and dispense materials are generally well known in the art. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,529,179 and 5,525,299 and 5,000,314.
In particular U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,179 describes a dispensing lid for the circular upper rim of a drinking cup. Frangible vessels which contain condiments and are fabricated of thin plastic film are disposed within the base panel. When finger pressure is applied to the vessels, their undersides break, thereby discharging the condiments into a drinking cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,299 describes a cap having two chambers that provide a means for and a method of decomposing or neutralizing a hazardous chemical residue. The cap is threaded to fit a particular container. To release the contents of the storage compartment the cap must be removed from the container opening, the storage compartment seal removed, and the cap replaced on the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,314 describes a unit dose storage cap. The storage cap includes a dose container meant to contain and dispense a large dose of infant and adult nutritional formulas. The dose container has a threaded mouth designed to be fitted onto the wide neck of a specific graduated infant formula bottle. In use a foil seal is removed before the storage cap is secured to the bottle. In another embodiment of the invention the dose cap has a water soluble seal which dissolves into the formula bottle. The dissolved seal adds an additional substance to the mixture. The water soluble seal does not allow the storage cap to store liquid concentrates.
Deficiencies in the prior art are evident. Typically a package or a cap in the prior art can be used only with a particular container. Frequently prior art devices must be unsealed prior to engaging the device onto a container for dispensing the stored material into the container. In cases where the material may be dispensed after the device is engaged onto to the container, the seal falls into or dissolves into the container with the dispensed material. The prior art does not reveal a device that engages onto any among a number of containers having different neck sizes and different aperture sizes.